


They Came From Outer Space

by NauticalTrain



Category: jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, interdimensional, superhero
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-03 16:52:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14000460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NauticalTrain/pseuds/NauticalTrain
Summary: Sean was just an everyday kind of guy. But when an alien messenger named Sam tells him he's now the defender of Earth, all because of his supposed loyalty and heart, he dons a mask and takes to the streets. With his new found powers, he keeps the city safe, but something else lurks in the darkness. Something that wants to take Earth for itself. Sean, together with Sam and Signe, must protect the Earth from this interdimensional mastermind.





	1. The Messenger

_The Darkness rose triumphantly over everything. It had complete control now. With its job finished, it craned its terrible head towards the sky. A swirling rift opened above it and the Darkness disappeared inside._

_You have to go Earth! It’s going to them next! H-here, take my power. Give it to the first good-hearted human you see._

_How am I supposed t-_

_No! No time. Just go!_

_But I-_

_Go!_

***

    The warm, afternoon sun shown through the slats of the balcony banister. With a drink in hand, Sean McLoughlin dozed in the noonday light; greatly enjoying his Sunday off from work. The past week had been especially exhausting due to a problem with the registers. Working at a hotel was difficult enough but dozens of unhappy guests could put an even bigger damper on the job. Sean shifted positions in his Adirondack chair. He propped his slipper clad feet on the ottoman and was about to descend back into his happy reverie when his phone chirped. He sighed. So much for another nap. He set his drink down and picked up his phone to look at the glowing display. He smiled when a text from his girlfriend, Signe appeared.

_Are we still on for dinner tonight? ;)_

Sean’s smile grew a little wider as he tapped back a reply.

_Like always, Woosh_

He set his phone down and rested his head on the back of the chair for a few moments. He loved Sundays. It was the only day they could get together and relax.

_Whizz!_

Something flew across Sean’s vision.

“What the hell?”

 A bright, green meteor streaked across the afternoon sky. He raised his head to look at it closer. Wait, a meteor in midday? From Sean’s minimal knowledge of celestial bodies, he knew that meteors couldn’t be seen in daylight. Right? He quickly grabbed his phone and snapped a picture of it to send to Signe.

_Look what I just saw!_

He looked at the strange meteor, wondering where it could land. It looked pretty close to the city. Maybe it will land nearby. He peeled his eyes away from the streak. Deciding he had had enough napping for one day, he stood up, stretched and walked through the door of his apartment. It was a reasonably sized apartment for someone living alone. A spacious living room, a nice kitchen and the walls were painted a pleasant periwinkle color. Surprisingly cheap for where he lived in the city. He still suspected there was a catch, even though he had been living in the space for two years. He poured the rest of his drink into the sink.

Suddenly, a loud crash outside made him jump. He whipped around with a hand over his heart. What now?? It sounded like a car crash. He hoped no one was hurt. He ran back to his balcony to look down at the street. A couple dozen people had stopped to look around for the source as well. Nothing. What an afternoon. First, a meteor in daylight and now a crash with no origin.

“Jesus…what is goin’ on?”

Shaking his head, he headed to his bedroom to change into a fresh pair of clothes. After all, he did still have a date to get to. He put on a clean, button down shirt and a pair of brown jeans. Luckily, he and Signe were at that point in a relationship where being dressed to the nines wasn’t a requirement. Their Sunday dates were a regular thing that didn’t require more planning beyond a quick “Where do you want to go?” text. He smiled to himself. He was quite the lucky dude to be with her. With that happy thought in mind, he grabbed his keys and wallet and headed out his front door.

***

“And then there was this massive crash outside!” Sean wildly gestured with his hands as he described his afternoon, “I whipped around so fast, I thought I’d been shot.”

“Weird….I’m thinking that shooting star is related. I’m surprised more people haven’t been out looking for it,” Signe said.

They ended up at an Italian restaurant that they had been to before. Exposed brick and murals of the Italian country side decorated the interior and waiters bustled around with heavy platters of food. They were halfway through their meals when Signe brought up the meteor from earlier.

“I don’t think it even hit the surface,” And then after a moment, Sean said with a laugh, “What if it’s aliens?”

Signe giggled, “Little, green men or tripods?”

“Both! Little, green men IN tripods.”

That got a laugh out of both of them.  They were joking around of course, but that didn’t stop them from trying to figure out what those strange events were. Sean stuck to his alien theory, while Signe proposed it may have been something man-made and the crash was separate.

“Why don’t we check Twitter to see if they saw anything?” Signe suggested.

“Good idea,” Sean opened up Twitter to see if anyone local knew what it was.

People were tweeting about the meteor and some were theorizing but no answers. Sean looked it up Google as well and found a couple results.

“Here’s something. The weather station’s put out a statement. ‘The object seen falling over midtown today was identified as weather balloon debris and wasn’t any cause for alarm.’….That doesn’t explain the green color though.”

“Maybe it was the light reflecting off of it,” Signe took a bite of her chicken parm.

“Hmm, maybe.”

The conversation moved on and the meteor was mentioned a few more times before dessert. They had a brief debate on what dessert to share and finally settled on a tiramisu. Signe put a spoonful of cake in her mouth and looked at Sean with a thoughtful expression.

“What’s wrong?” Sean asked, when he noticed her face.

“Nothing,” she said, “You’re just really cute.”

Sean buried his face in his hands, ‘Wiishuuu, I’m not cute! I’m a man! A really, manly man!”

“A cute, manly man,” she leaned across the table to give him a peck on the cheek.

Sean simply buried his face even deeper in his hands.

“We’re such children,” he laughed.

 Unfortunately, the date had to end eventually. They stood outside their cars getting in one last kiss before they parted ways.

“I wish we could spend the night together,” Signe said, her arms resting on her boyfriend’s shoulders.

“I do, too,” he gave her a quick kiss, “But we both gotta get up early tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I know…..”

They hugged one last time and got into their respective cars. Sean blew her a kiss as Signe started up her car’s engine. She caught the invisible kiss as she pulled out of the parking lot and drove off into the city lights.

“God, I hate these stupid schedules,” Sean sighed.

There just weren’t enough hours for them to be together. While the hotel he worked at was small, they still got a regular stream of customers that needed quality accommodations. Signe had an equally busy schedule with the magazine she illustrated for. Never enough time…

“Positive mental attitude, Sean, positive mental attitude,” he said to himself.

***

As soon as Sean arrived back home, he decided to hop in the shower for a nighttime rinse. He had picked up the habit of showering at night as well as in the morning, after learning about how many germs were actually in hotels. He stripped out of his clothes, threw them in the basket and turned on the nozzle. He let the hot water run over him. A relaxing end to a relaxing day. Well, almost relaxing. He couldn’t stop his thoughts from wandering back to the meteor. There was more to that, he was sure of it.

He was in the middle of rinsing out conditioner and loudly singing about dogs when he heard a thump outside the shower. He poked his head around the curtain. Nothing had fallen off the counter or anything. Another sharper thump, just outside his bathroom door. Like something hitting ceramic. He turned off the water and threw a towel around his waist. Armed with a spare towel rod, he crept out of the bathroom. Walking along the hall, he heard more sounds. Thumps, scratches, rustling. Sean stopped at the corner of his kitchen. The noises where emanating from the kitchen. Praying it wasn’t a burglar who managed to get in, he jumped around the corner.

“Hah!” Sean swung the towel rod blindly before realizing no one was there, “Wait, what?”

Then, where did all of the thumps come from?

“Am…am I going crazy?” Sean ran a hand through his wet hair and started to head back for the bathroom.

Then he saw it.

An eye. A huge, green eyeball staring at him from the picture shelf above the table. It regarded him for a moment before it lifted from the shelf and warily floated towards him. Sean brandished the rod, defensively. As it came closer, Sean noticed it had an electric blue iris and was covered in some sort of fluid that made it appear shiny and slick. It floated even closer.

“Stay back, you….you…whatever you are! I have a towel rod and I’m not afraid to use it!”

It responded by landing on the tip of the towel rod and curling it’s tail around it. With a manly shriek, Sean dropped the rod and fell back onto the floor. He quickly scooted away from the creature. It simply shook itself out and look up at him again. It seemed almost irritated in a “Would you calm down” sort of way. Before Sean could figure out a way to escape his kitchen and never look back, the eye slithered onto his knee at a blinding speed.

“Shit!”

Sean shoved the creature off of him and leapt up. He was about to bolt in panic when the eyeball appeared right in front of his nose. That sobered him up. He backed away and accidentally bumped into his counter. It floated in place and gazed at him. That’s when Sean realized something.

“Wait, why haven’t you eaten my brains yet?” he said.

The eyeball thought for a second before it held out it’s tail in what seemed like a greeting. With all of his senses screaming “DON’T TOUCH THE EYEBALL MONSTER”, Sean reached out to touch it. The eye inched forward to close the distance and in a remarkably E.T. like moment, they made contact. The creature was surprisingly dry to the touch, more like a snake as opposed to a frog.

_I’m probably gonna die._

That was last thought Sean had before a bright burst of light engulfed him.

***

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

“-Huh?” Sean jerked awake from the sound of his alarm.

He clumsily hit the snooze button and groaned. He just wanted to curl up in bed for a few more minutes. Wait. How was he in bed? Sean sat up.

“How did I-?” he said to himself.

He shut his eyes and rubbed his fingers into his temples, trying to recall how he got there. He remembered going out with Signe, he remembered taking a shower. And then there was something with the towel rod…..and an eye? He blinked a few times. He could just barely see the outline of a green eye. He shook his head.

“Jesus, what was in that wine.”

Chocking it up to the week long exhaustion, Sean sluggishly got himself ready to work. An hour later, he walked through the automatic doors of the Porter Hotel. Even though he wasn’t the biggest fan of working there, the place was really quite nice. The lobby was decorated in burnished golds and the crystal chandelier glittered overhead. Contrasting with the warmth of the lobby, the rooms and halls were primarily blue.

“Sean!”

A voice came from his left. Sean turned to see Chris, a fellow concierge jogging towards him.

“Thank god you’re here,” he said, “The pool’s filter is getting repaired and someone needs to go make sure it’s actually getting done.”

“If you’ll remember, I graduated from managing the pool last year,” Sean jokingly said.

“Look, we’re short on staff today. Can you just run on over there and see what the situation is? I’d do it myself but I’m working with the computer people today.”

“More problems with the computers? I thought we fixed that last week.”

“Well, they’ve started acting up again.

“Great,” Sean ran a hand through his hair, “I’ll go check on the pool.”

“Thanks, man. You’re a life saver.”

And he was gone. Sean sighed slightly. Off to the pool. He power walked his way through the twisting corridors. The layout of the hotel was infamously confusing among employees. Soon, he was out on the patio. On the far side of the round pool, two maintenance men were working away on the filter. He jogged over.

“How’s the pool filter?” he asked.

“Good, actually,” one said, “Should be all fixed up in about 20 minutes.”

“Okay, great!”

And with that, Sean was out. Chats with other employees, that he didn’t know, always made him cringe. He headed back towards the front desk, where Chris was working with one of the IT people.

“Pool filter is all good, Chris. They said it’ll be repaired in little bit.”

Chris looked up from the computer screen with puzzled expression.

“You’re back already?”

“Yeah? It didn’t take very long.”

“Dude, you were gone for like, a minute. How did you get to the patio and back so fast?”

Now, it was Sean’s turn to be puzzled.

“I just walked there. Granted, I walked there quickly but it was just walking.”

“I think you went through some sort of time warp, man,” Chris said.

Sean frowned. It must have taken him at least 6 minutes to get from the lobby to the pool and back. And it wasn’t like he was sprinting or anything. How _did_ he get there so quickly?

“Must have just taken a shortcut or something,” Sean said, trying to laugh it off.

Whatever he had last night must have really wrecked him without him noticing. The confusing part was he didn’t feel hungover. And the day only got stranger from there. It was afternoon when something else bizarre happened. He was moving a heavy box of phonebooks from the supply room to the lobby, when he accidentally hit the edge of a table and dropped the box. In an appropriate reaction to pain, he let out a yelp followed by a sharp intake of breath.

“Ow!”

Of course, it wasn’t a particularly loud cry of pain, certainly not as loud as he could be. But for some reason, two lightbulbs above him shattered as soon as he yelped. Almost like they broke because of him. He covered his head with his arms as shards of glass fell. That didn’t stop some from landing in his hair. He shook them out and looked up at the broken bulbs.

“What the fuck?? Those bulbs are new,” He exclaimed, “How the hell did that happen?

Attributing it to the shoddy electricity, he picked up the box with a huff and left the room. Another occurrence happened just as he was about to leave for the night. A man had walked in with his white labrador and when the dog got distracted by some fake plants, the man blew a dog whistle. And the funny thing was, Sean heard it. He winced at the sudden, piercing sound. Those things were supposed to be silent. Maybe it was broken. Even stranger, no one else had reacted to it. As he was walking out of the automatic doors, he began to think that maybe the fleeting eye wasn’t just a dream.

He trotted through the dark parking lot, eager to get home. As soon as he slipped into the driver’s seat, he felt it. Something was with him. He checked behind him on the seats and even got out to look in the trunk. His brain was telling him that a murderer in the car was ridiculous but there was that nagging part of him that said otherwise. He sat back down in the seat with his hairs standing on end. He shook the paranoia off. This day had been too weird for his liking.

Sean drove back to his apartment complex in silence. As he walked up the stairs, he kept looking over his shoulder. He could feel something watching him.

“I always feel like somebody’s watchin me,” he sung to himself in dry humor, “Jesus, I’m goin’ crazy.”

He reached his apartment door and hastily scampered inside. Locking the door, he let out the breath he was holding. This was ridiculous. He was a grown man and he’s watching for monsters around every corner. He flicked the lamp. Everything in the apartment looked its normal self, albeit dim. No demons in here.

“Finally safe,” he laughed.

He flopped down on the couch and kicked his shoes off. He closed his eyes for a brief respite. He could hear the sounds of the city and the people in the surrounding apartments. Someone above him was talking about their income while traffic rumbled below. Had the walls always been this thin? It sounded like he was right next to them. Maybe he finally figured out the catch to the apartment. Even the sounds inside were louder than usual. The hum of the fridge, the buzz of the lightbulb, the creaks of the foundation settling. It was actually kind of deafening. Sean furrowed his brow. He was sure everything wasn’t usually this loud. And then, something rang out louder than all the rest.

A voice.

“Hello.”

Sean’s eyes flew open, searching for the source. There, settled right between his feet, was the eye. The eye from his dream. It casually looked up at him. Like this was an everyday occurrence for it. Sean stared at it in shock.

“Hello?” it repeated.

Sean snapped out of it.

“AH!” he screamed and jumped onto the back of the couch, “Whoareyouwhatareyouwhycanyoutalknow?!”

“My name is Sam,” they said, patiently.

“You’re an alien eye and your name is Sam??”

“It was the only human name I could think of,”

Letting his guard down for a moment, Sean said, “So, why are you here…Sam?”

“I am a messenger from another world,” they perked up, “And I’m here to help you.”

“You were the meteor,” Sean suddenly realized.

Sam nodded.

“Were you the crash, too?”

“Oh! Sorry about that. I miscalculated my aim and hit the side of a building,” Sam said, bashfully, “Luckily, I repaired it before no one saw.”

“Well, that’s alright I guess. No one got hurt,” Sean shook his head, “Wait, a messenger from another world? And what was last night all about??”

“Right! Yes. No doubt, you’ve noticed all of the unexplainable things happening to you today?”

“Uh….yes?”

“I was instructed to give a gift to the first truly good person I met here. And that was you.”

“What gift?” Sean frowned.

“You already have it, Sean. When I touched your hand, I imparted it to you. And I learned a lot about you in return. A data transfer of the mind.”

Sean slid back on the seat of the couch.

“I…I’m not sure what you mean. What have you given me?”

“Abilities most humans would only dream of. Speed, agility, strength and most importantly, something specialized to you. A power that I cannot predict,” Sam said, “What do you think it is?”

Sean stood up and turned away.

“I just…I can barely even process this. Aliens? Superpowers? I work at a hotel. I live…here,” he gestured to the apartment, “Why me?”

“…Because you’re kind, generous and loyal. You have a good heart. Metaphorically and literally,” Sam floated over and circled around him, “And you have fantastic health. You’re the only person I’ve seen who can sustain these powers.”

“I think you’ve got the wrong person. I’m sure there are people better than me.”

Sam thought for a moment.

“There were other people I considered. People that had good hearts and sound minds…But then I saw you in the parking lot last night. A sparkler in a sea of dim lamps,” Sam stared at him, “You must understand, there is _no one_ like you. You’ve been chosen to be a defender of good.”

Sean was floored. This was absolute insanity. What does a person do when an alien messenger tells them that they’re suddenly a hero? Most would commit themselves to a mental institution. But Sean was not most people. He was crazy enough to go along with it. It was time to stand up and do what’s right. Hopefully, this day hasn’t been one, long fever dream.

“Okay, I understand,” Sean said after a long time, “I know I’m not given a choice in this, so I’ll do what needs to be done.”

Sam gave a little, excited gasp and darted over to give their equivalent of a hug, which was basically just nestling under Sean’s chin.

“Thank you, Sean! You have no idea how many dimensions you’ll be saving.”

Sean patted them. Oh boy, what has he gotten himself into. Sam retreated and regained their composure.

“So, what’s this special power?” Sean asked.

“I have no idea. You already had it inside. I just gave you the power to unlock it,” Sam said, “Think about it for a moment.”

And so, he thought. What happened today that really stood out? First, it was the pool filter, then the lightbulb and then the dog whistle. And just now with the city sounds. Well, the pool filter thing can be ruled out because that fell under speed. But what did the others have to do with each other? Wait, the lightbulb burst when he yelled. And dog whistle wasn’t broken. It was working just fine because the dog was the only one hearing it. Besides Sean.

“….sound,” he realized, “It’s sound! That’s my power!”

“Sound? It would make sense. From what I can tell about you, you’re a very vocal person.”

“Mum always said I would be professional screamer when I grew up,” Sean said, “So…what now?”

“Well now that we know your special ability, it’s time for the fun part,” Sam said, cheekily, “You need a suit.”

 “Wait!” Sean suddenly exclaimed, “I’ll be right back.”

Sean ran off to dig through the papers in his room. He emerged clutching a sheet of notebook paper.

“Can you do this?” he excitedly put the paper in front of Sam.

It was a child’s drawing of a superhero wearing a red unitard with a blue mask. Above him was “JACKIEBOY MAN” in big, multicolored letters.

“Jackieboy Man?” Sam questioned.

“I drew it when I was 8. If I have the chance to be a superhero, I better make my kid self proud.”

“Hmmm, I can work with that. Close your eyes.”

As soon as he did, a flash of cold surrounded him, accompanied by the smell of metal. The coldness permeated his entire body as he felt some sort of material wrap around him and form to his frame. All at once, the coldness disappeared and was replaced by the feeling of a tough fabric.

“Okay, you can look now.”

Sean opened his eyes and instinctually looked at his hands.

“Woah!”

They were clothed in red gloves. Looking down further, he noticed that the rest of him was dressed similarly. He ran to his bedroom mirror and checked himself out. He was wearing a red, hooded super suit with darker areas that he assumed were armor. Thin, green lines ran up and down the seams. Around his hips was a teal-blue belt and on his face was a mask of similar color. He leaned in a little closer. The mask had a clear material over his eyes as protection. Then he noticed his eyes were off. He widened them to get a better look.

“What the..?”

His irises were their usual bright blue, but his scleras were lurid green. Exactly the same as Sam. His gaze drifted upwards to a bit of green poking out from under the hood. He pushed it back to reveal a head of meadow green hair.

“What do you think?” Sam appeared in the doorway.

“It’s awesome! 8 year old me would be freaking out if he could see this,” He said while examining the green seams, “And the bits of green are a nice touch.”

Sam laughed.

“Thanks. Gotta tie in the whole green motif, right?” they said. “And one last thing. Every hero needs a weapon. Hold out your hands.”

Sean complied and cupped his hands out in front of him. Sam floated into his palms and their green form began glowing vividly. Sean squinted as the light grew even brighter. He could feel Sam burning with a cold energy. Suddenly, the light dissipated and in his hands was a long, green whip. The handle was wrapped in forest green leather and a polished, Sam-like orb jutted out from the end. The lash was made of a leathery material that had a slightly prickly feel.

“Sam! I didn’t know you could turn into a whip. Cool!”

_Honestly, the whip was a surprise. I genuinely thought I was going to be a yo-yo._

“Are you….talking to me in my brain?” Sean said, his eyes wide.

_If you want to think of it like that, sure._

“Woah. This is so cool!” Sean excitedly said, “Wait a minute, how am I supposed to use a whip?  I’m no lion tamer.”

_The good thing about a living weapon is that it will help you along. We’re a team now. We work together._

“A team?”

_A team._

“Alright…Alright! I’m ready!” Sean said, suddenly filled with energy, “Where do we go from here?”

_Now, you need some training._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cue Whip It by Devo


	2. Breakthroughs

 

    Sean peered over the edge of rooftop to the ground below. His face twisted into a grimace and he shut his eyes.

“Do we have to do this on the roof?” he said.

“Yes,” replied Sam, who was nudging a can into place nearby, “You need to get used to high places. You’re going to be on them a lot.”

Sean shifted away from the edge of the building and looked over at what Sam was setting up. It was 3 milk crates with cans arranged in various ways. This was going to be Sean’s “training”. His goal was to knock over the cans with the whip and not kill himself. Sam drifted backwards and admired their handiwork. Pretty impressive for someone who doesn’t have hands. They floated over to Sean.

“Okay, it’s all ready. All you need to do is crack the whip towards the cans and I’ll do the rest.”

Sam landed in Sean’s hand and with a flash, transformed into their coiled whip self.

_Try not to launch me off the building._

Sean widened his stance and let the lash uncurl from his hand. It dropped on the ground with a soft but somewhat threatening thump. He furrowed his brow. All at once, he raised his arm over his head and swung the whip around in a circle before arcing it down towards the milk crate. It screamed through the air and let out an extremely loud CRACK as it struck its target. Unfortunately, its target was the cement right in front of the milk crate. Sean straightened up excitedly. He may have missed but at least he hit something.

_That was good! Give a little more momentum and I should make it next time._

And so, the training began. Every day, a new exercise would be added to the regiment once he mastered the last one. As soon as he had hit all the cans, they moved on to physical exercise. He ran laps faster than any track runner, lifted weights that would be heavy for some body builders and did leaps and flips that gymnasts could only dream about. He was the best at that. They both quickly learned that his strength lied in being fast and agile. Even with his newfound powers, the exercise was hard but what was even harder, was balancing all of this with his normal life. He still went to work every day and trained at night, all while making sure Signe thought nothing was amiss. Sean hated lying to her, but he figured he should keep it a secret for a little while longer.

However, his fear of heights was still a problem. It was one thing to just be on a rooftop, it was another to climb a building to get there.

Sean craned his neck upwards to look at the mess of fire escapes above him. It was pretty dark already, which would make this even harder but there was no way he could train in daylight. Not without getting arrested. Sean gulped.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Absolutely,” Sam said, “You need to get over your fear of heights. Trust me, Sean. I won’t let you fall.”

Sam looked at him with such conviction that it almost made Sean brave. Almost. There was still a lingering dread that comes with most phobias. He looked up again at the fire escapes.

“….I trust you. But how am I supposed to see?”

“Oh, that’s easy.”

The whip appeared in Sean’s hand and began glowing like any flashlight.

_I’m multi-purpose._

“Huh, convenient,” Sean said.

_Now, just swing me upwards and start pulling._

Sean swung the whip towards the banister. The lash firmly wrapped around it several times. Sean gave it a tug and it held. Slowly, he started ascending the whip like a school gym’s vertical rope. He clambered over the edge of the banister and planted his feet on the fire escape.

_You’re doing great!_

Sean began ascending the stairs but Sam stopped him.

_What are you doing?_

“Um, climbing the escape? That’s what I’m here for.”

_No, no, no. You need to climb the outside of it._

“What! You mean crawl up the supports? I can’t do that. I’ll kill myself!”

Sean backed up against the building. He felt very dizzy, suddenly.

_What did I tell you before we started? I won’t let you fall. You have to remember you’re stronger than you were. And you’re stronger than you think. Overcome this._

Steeling himself, Sean leaned over the banister and looked up at the tangled mess of ladders.

“I can do this,” he said to himself.

Furrowing his brow, he climbed onto the banister and perched on it like a cat. It shook under his weight but held. He reached up to the next platform and pulled himself up. He suddenly got an idea as he crouched on the next banister. He looked down at the whip and back up. He swung it upwards and from his weeks of training, he was able to get it wrapped around an upper level. He gripped it and stood up on the banister. He glanced down towards the ground.

_Don’t do that!_

“Right, right!”

Sean looked back up and began scaling the fire escapes while holding onto the whip. It was much easier to climb on the outside this way, than having to keep going in and out. His limbs were almost robotic. Left hand, right foot, right hand, left foot and repeat until he reached the place where the whip was fastened. Sam released the banister and Sean swung it up to the next spot, which was luckily near the very top. Right hand, left foot, left hand, right foot. Before he realized it, he was on the last one. Jumping up, he grabbed the edge of the roof and pulled himself up. He collapsed on the cement of the roof, breathing heavily. Sam transformed back into their own form and nestled under Sean’s chin.

“Sean! That was amazing! You conquered your fear! I’m very proud of you.”

Sean laughed and patted them.

“I’m proud of myself, too,” he said, “Thanks for believing in me….”

Sam retreated to the edge of the roof, leaving Sean to rest for a moment.

“And look at this beautiful view we have!” Sam said, “I think it’s almost dawn.”

Sean heaved himself to a stand and walked over to his friend. He leaned on the barrier separating the roof from open air. The city lights twinkled under a night sky that was on the verge of brightening. There was a sliver of bright red on the horizon, signaling the arrival of a new day. In the distance, Sean could hear cars commuting to work and below them, people waking up. His new hearing was apparently much stronger than he thought. 

His abilities with sound were just another addition to his new lifestyle. He could hear things from further and further away and new powers were unlocked every day, mostly by accident. However, the whip was the most difficult to control. He could climb with it and knock things over just fine but when it came to channeling his power through it….well, that was a completely different problem. It would always fizzle out or not even work at all.

The whip released its wasted energy in the form of steam as it lay on the cement. Sweat accumulated on Sean’s forehead.

_Again. You have to channel enough energy through me._

“I’m trying!” Sean exclaimed, “Aren’t you supposed to be helping me?”

_I can only guide your actions to a goal._ You _must supply the power._

Sean groaned like a moody teenager that just learned he’s not allowed to buy a used motorcycle and threw the whip down.

“You know what? I’m done for the day. We’ll try again tomorrow,” Sean said with a huff.

_No. You’re going to pick this whip back up and try again. You are not a quitter._

 “I’m not going to,” he crossed his arms.

_You are not allowed to have a temper tantrum. Aren’t you always talking about a positive mental attitude?_

Sean glared at the emotionless glass eye protruding from the handle. He narrowed his eyes at it and his mouth turned into a grimace. Fine. Sam wanted him to try? Oh, he’ll try. He angrily swept up the whip and punctuated each of his words with a crack.

“Positive!”

_CRACK_

“Mental!”

_CRACK_

“ATTITUDE!”

On the final word, he swung the whip harder than he had ever swung it. In an instant, the base of the lash glowed and the light traveled all the way up to the tip. The whip let out a blaringly loud crack as it broke the sound barrier and wave of green energy flew out of it. Sean fell flat on his back from the force of it. The whip went flying.

“Wha’ jus happened?” he groaned, his ears ringing.

Sam appeared in his field of vision, which made him recoil slightly at the eye suddenly staring at him.

“Take a look for yourself,” they said.

Sean propped himself up on his forearms and blinked. The cans had shot off in all different directions, the milk crates had skidded away on their sides. In the spot where they once stood was a smoking, dark green mark. Sean’s eyes widened.

“Woah….”

Sam nudged his shoulder, smugly.

“I told you, you could do it.”

Sean tried to glare at him but his face broke into a smirk.

While his whip was essential for a lot of things, his hearing was far more important. Every morning and night, he would go outside to the balcony and just listen. He would sit in his chair, close his eyes and let the sounds filter through his ears. It always took a moment to warm up, but slowly the sounds would unfold in his ear drums. He could hear conversations of people on the street below, the pigeons cooing at each other on the roof of his building, and in the distance, he could even hear the trees rustling in the park. His brain was a satellite dish and his ears were the best pair of headphones in the world.

But it was the nighttime listening that was the most important. All sorts of night crawlers came out to stir up some trouble then. Sean always tried to listen very carefully at night, in case he would pick up on something. And one night, he did. 

Sean leaned forward on the balcony, his eyes closed with Sam resting next to his arm. He combed the surrounding area for any sort of disturbance. Nothing but the usual traffic and pigeons so far.

“Anything?” Sam asked.

“Nope,” Sean said, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course. Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s just…” Sean paused and then continued, “Why am I doing this?”

“To look for crime?” Sam said.

“No, no. I mean, why am I…a hero? What am I defending people from?”

Sam hesitated and tried to choose their words carefully. They didn’t think this question would come so soon. Hopefully, Sean would take the answer well.

“Sean…I didn’t want to tell you yet, but-,”

They were interrupted when Sean held up a hand.

“Wait, hold that thought. I’m getting something.”

A bang on a dumpster, the shuffle of shoes, maybe even yelp of pain. Sean tilted his head left and right to find the source of what he heard. Another bang on the dumpster and someone backing up against it. Sean could just barely make out the pounding of someone’s heart. He opened his eyes.

“Got it! I think someone’s getting robbed.”

“Well then, no time to lose!” Sam said.

Sean held out his hand and Sam wrapped their tail around it. Sean closed his eyes and the cold feeling from that night a month ago returned. The suit wrapped around him and with a flash of green light, Jackieboy Man opened his vivid eyes once more. Jack took a breath of air. It was good to be in the suit again. Even if it was a bit strange feeling. Jack coiled the whip and hooked it onto his belt before looking out at the city.

“Let’s go.”

***

“Hey man, don’t hurt me! I’ll give you whatever you want!”

The man had backed up against the dumpster, his heart pounding. The three thugs circled him. One flicked open a knife and the blade glinted menacingly. The one that seemed to be the leader held out his hand.

“Watch.”

The man hastily undid the clasp on his watch and nervously put in the leader’s hand. The leader examined it for a moment, before being distracted by the moon suddenly coming out. A strange, moving shadow appeared on the brick behind the dumpster. It crouched and seemed to glare at him. The leader turned to look at the other rooftop and found that nothing was there. He turned back to the cowering man in front of him.

“And your wallet.”

“But, I don’t have my wallet wit-

“Yes, you do. Give it to me.” the lead thug snapped.

The man flinched and shrunk back. His hands shook as he reached into his coat pocket to grab the wallet. He was just about to hand it over when a voice cut through the air like a sword.

“I don’t think that belongs to you.”

The four people turned to see a figure standing at the edge of the alleyway with his hands on his hips. He strode a little closer to them.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Give him back the watch.”

“Yeah? And I why should listen to some dude playin’ dress-up?” the leader said, “Go home, punk.”

Jack raised his eyebrows. Who does this guy think he is?

“This is you last warning,” Jack said, putting a hand on his whip.

The leader laughed.

“What are you gonna do? Bite at my ankles?”

Jack’s eyebrows descended to a scowl. Oh, hell no. He’s not going to allow himself to be called “short” today. He quickly uncoiled the whip and cracked it at the thugs’ feet. The sound rang out through the alley and they whirled around in shock. The leader looked around at his compatriots.

“What are you waiting for?? Go get him!”

The knife wielding one charged him, swinging his weapon.

_Sean, the wall!_

Jack’s eyes flicked towards the brick to his right before taking off towards it. He leapt up, ran two strides across the wall and aimed for the knife swinging mugger. His foot made contact with the back of his head and sent the thief sprawling to his stomach. Jack landed in a crouch, the soles of his boots grinding into the cement. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flicker of movement. He jumped back just before a fist could break his nose. Jack bobbed and weaved as the thug threw punches at him. He threw a violent left hook which made Jack duck down. The thug stumbled as he punched the air. Sensing his opening, Jack shot a leg out and knocked him off his feet. Jack leapt out of way as the thug fell to his hands and knees.

_He’s getting back up!_

Jack jabbed an elbow between his shoulder blades and he fell next to his fellow thief with a groan. Just as he was straightening up, a fist hit his face. Jack shuffled backwards, clutching the rapidly bruising jaw. The lead thug came at him again with another fist, but Jack was ready this time. He ducked and grabbed the thug by the middle. He shoved him up against the wall and balled his shirt up in both hands. The thug’s feet were just barely touching the ground. The thug stared at him with a wild look in his eyes.

“Hey, don’t get crazy or anything, man! We weren’t gonna hurt him,” the thug pleaded.

Jack reached into the thief’s coat pocket and pulled out the watch. He dropped the thug to his feet and he immediately scrambled away from the hero, dragging his accomplices as he went.

“And don’t let me see you around here again!” Jack yelled, cracking the whip at their tails as they ran out of the alley.

He turned towards the man and held out hand.

“Are you alright? No stab wounds?” he asked.

The man took his hand and Jack pulled him up. He pressed the watch into his hand, which the man pocketed.

“I’m okay,” the man said, slightly dumbstruck.

“Well, my job here is done. Try not to get robbed again,” Jack jokingly said.

He swung the whip upwards and it hooked onto a ledge in the darkness. He began to ascend but the man stopped him.

“Wait! Who are you?”

“I’m Jackieboy Man,” he said, triumphantly.

And with that, he disappeared into the night. 

***

Sean, still in his suit, leapt over the gap in the buildings and planted his feet firmly on the roof of his apartment complex. He sat down on a discarded crate just as Sam appeared in their normal form.

“So, what did you think of that?” they asked.

“Well, it was something that needed to be done,” Sean attempted to be serious before breaking out into laughter, “That was crazy! I actually stopped someone from getting robbed. And, that wall run though. I mean, how did I even do that?? And honestly, I was not expecting them to actually run away. My hands were shaking the whole time.”

 “I didn’t notice a thing. You seemed very confident,” Sam laughed.

“Hah, thank you.”

He stood up and paced over to the edge of the roof. He swept off the hood of his suit and ran a hand through his green locks. A million thoughts ran through his head. He couldn’t believe he had actually done that. He had been a superhero for five whole minutes. What a night! Suddenly, his jaw twinged in pain. He’d almost forgotten about the bruise. He winced and pressed his fingertips against it.

“Oh! That looks like it smarts. Let me look at it,” Sam said.

They floated over and studied the bruise. Sean turned his head, so they could get a better look.

“Oof, that’s intense. You’re lucky you don’t have a broken jaw. You may be stronger and faster, but you certainly bruise the same. Be careful of that from now on,” Sam said, “I’ll heal this one for now.”

A blueish light sparked up in Sam’s pupil and a beam of light shot out. A cool tingling covered the bruise, making the pain slowly go away. The light shrunk back into Sam’s pupil as quickly as it had come. Sean worked his jaw. The bruise was gone.

“How did you do that?”

“I told you, I’m multipurpose.”

Sean squinted playfully at the little eye and cocked his head.

“You’ve never told me what you are exactly,” he said.

“You’ve never asked,” they replied, “….To answer your question, I’m a…..oh, there isn’t a word for it in human dialect. I’m a sort of organic machine made for assisting others.”

Sean raised his eyebrows.

“So, you’re like a robot butler? Cool!”

Sam laughed. They lapsed into a comfortable silence for a moment before Sean’s ears perked up. His phone rang out in his apartment.

“My phone’s goin off. Come on,” he said.

They rappelled their way down to the apartment balcony and entered through the, thankfully unlocked door. Sean plucked his phone from the coffee table and looked at the display. Signe’s smiling face was on the screen. He answered the call.

“Hey, Wiish! How was your day?”

“Great, actually. I’m just calling to tell you we should go to breakfast tomorrow, instead of the usual dinner. The magazine is forcing me to go on a dinner meeting with some editors, which sucks.”

Sean glanced at the calendar. How was it already almost Sunday? This week had gone by way too fast.

“Uh, sure! We can go to that diner on Chase Street,” he sat down on the couch, “Hey, can we talk about something real quick?”

Sam looked up at him. Sean glanced down but couldn’t meet their gaze.

“Of course, Sean. Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong it’s just…” Sean made a decision, “Nevermind, it’s not important.”

 “Are you sure nothing’s wrong?” she asked, concerned and slightly confused.

“I’m sure. Goodnight, Signe. I love you.”

“Oh…um, I love you too, Sean. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she replied, even more confused.

Sean hung up the phone and flopped backward on the couch. He rubbed his temples.

“What was that all about?” Sam asked.

“I almost told her about….this.” He gestured to himself.

Sean had been “Jackieboy Man” for a month now and he still hadn’t told Signe. He was currently very conflicted. On one hand, he wanted to tell her because it was the coolest thing that had ever happened to him, but on the other, he didn’t want to worry her or make her think he was crazy. He could see it now. _Hey honey, I’m a superhero now and I’ve been secretly training for a whole month._ That would go over well.

“You don’t have to have a double life with her. You’re allowed to tell her,” Sam said and rested on his leg.

“Yeah, I know. It’s just a lot to tell her at once. I don’t want her getting worried or angry,” he replied.

“You shouldn’t keep secrets, Sean. But tell her whenever you’re ready. There’s no rush.”

“Alright…” Sean said, “Now, get me out of this suit. I need to go to the bathroom.”


End file.
